


Para(noid)saurolophus

by kyrdwyn



Series: Family Rules [4]
Category: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers Dino Charge
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-06
Updated: 2015-03-06
Packaged: 2018-03-16 13:12:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3489524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyrdwyn/pseuds/kyrdwyn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shelby finally explains her family's rules, and secrets, to her team.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Para(noid)saurolophus

"Shelby, your father had something delivered to you here at the museum," Miss Morgan announced as she entered the lab. She held out the small box with a note attached to the top and a code lock keeping it sealed. "This really isn't a mail delivery location."

"What is he sending me that couldn't be sent by mail?" Shelby asked as she took the box. "Dad doesn't do things without a reason." She opened the note, only to have it snatched away by Chase. "Hey!"

Chase held it up. " _Dear Shelby, since Rule 3 is in play, I feel this might help you more than it does my befuddled scientists. Your mother and I trust your discretion on breaking Rule 5 based on the enclosed. Rule 1, as ever, is in play. Dad._ Wow, your family has a lot of rules."

Shelby snatched the note back. "They have meaning," she said angrily. "To those who are family."

Chase held up his hands. "Sorry."

She glared at him for a long moment before going back to the box.

"Your dad mentioned Rule 1 when he was here," Tyler said. 

"Well, yeah." Shelby shrugged. "Rule 1 in my family is 'Always remember I love you'."

"That's sweet," Riley said. 

Koda looked up from where he was peering at the box. "What are Rule 3 and Rule 5?"

Shelby picked up the box, undoing the lock on it with the code she knew her father would have used. She opened the lid and her jaw dropped as a purple glow emanated from it. 

"Is that an Energem?" Tyler asked, standing behind her.

"Yeah," Shelby said, reaching in and picking it up. The purple counterpart to her gem shone brightly in the lab, reflecting off the rims of Miss Morgan's glasses. 

"How in the world did your father know this was important?" the scientist asked, reaching out to take the gem from Shelby, who turned it over without a protest. 

"He might have seen mine," Tyler said, "when I had to call Shelby away for the monster that day."

"It wasn't just that," Shelby said before Miss Morgan could say anything to Tyler. "Rule 3 of my family plays a large part of it. So does Rule 5." Because she wasn't going to get out of this without explaining why she'd had to tell her parents she was a Power Ranger.

"And those rules are?" Miss Morgan asked, glaring at Shelby.

"Rule 3 is that if I became a Power Ranger, I had to tell them. And Rule 5 is that, unless they expressly told me I could, I was not to tell anyone that my parents had been Power Rangers. Because they were, back in Angel Grove."

"Wait, hold on, your dad was a Power Ranger?" Chase asked disbelievingly.

Shelby whirled to face him, hands on her hips. "You got a problem with that?"

"He just doesn't look the type, is all I'm saying," Chase said, hands help up placatingly.

"First off, I wasn't aware there was a 'type' for Power Rangers," Shelby said. "Second, he hasn't been a ranger in about nineteen years, so of course he doesn't look like it. Doesn't mean he can't kick your butt," she added. "Who do you think taught me to fight?"

"What color was he?" Riley asked.

"He was the original blue ranger in Angel Grove, back in 1993. He gave up his powers in 1996 to someone else. Mom became the second yellow ranger in 1994 and gave up her powers in 1996, for different reasons. So yeah, my parents were rangers. And they knew it was possible that I might be chosen to be a ranger, so they insisted that I tell them," she looked over at Miss Morgan, "because they knew they couldn't handle the worry about me being a ranger and them not knowing. They..." she trailed off, not sure she should be saying this.

"They what?" Tyler asked softly, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Being a ranger... even after they left, things happened to them while they were rangers that have stayed with them. So thinking I was out there, going through all that, they wanted me to know I had them to turn to, just in case something happened and I needed someone outside the team to talk to. So all I ever had to do was tell them Rule 3 was in play, and they knew that meant I was a ranger. And yes, Dad probably figured the Energems had something to do with being a ranger when he saw Tyler with his. He'd already pegged all of you as rangers, given the ranger tendency to color coordinate."

Miss Morgan still looked unhappy. "I told you that you couldn't tell anyone."

"And I made that promise to my parents when I was thirteen," she said. "I'm not breaking that promise. Other than that, I haven't told anyone. Not even when we had other rangers in here, trying to figure out who the new red ranger was."

"What, those were rangers?" Chase asked. "You said they were ranger groupies."

"I wasn't about to out them as rangers, that could have led to outing us as rangers," Shelby replied. "So yeah, I said they were groupies, and Tyler managed to throw them off nicely with his 'velociraptors are cooler' bit. Besides, unless they have Energems, do we really need a bunch of previous rangers running around Amber Beach?"

"Your parents are," Miss Morgan pointed out.

"Mom and Dad's charity is setting up a branch here to assist in emergency response work and recovery efforts needed due to the monster attacks, to ensure that people get medical help quickly and people with housing issues have a place to stay. It's known they started the charity because they grew up in Angel Grove when it was under attack from Rita Repulsa, Lord Zedd, and the Machine Empire, and they saw the effects of such attacks first hand. And they don't speak to their former teammates, for reasons I don't really know, so it's not like there will be a revolving door of rangers because of them."

"And you're sure they can be trusted with the secret?" Miss Morgan asked.

Shelby turned to their mentor. "I wouldn't risk my teammates' lives if I didn't think my parents could be trusted, no matter what I promised them."

After a few moments, the other woman nodded. "Then we'll trust them, too."

Shelby didn't sigh in relief, but she wanted to. 

"Where did your dad get an Energem?" Tyler asked.

"Well," Shelby began, "I know that several years ago, Dad's company had to change the location where they were building a new manufacturing plant because they found fossils when they started digging the foundation. It could have been found there, and removed before the paleontologists arrived, because Dad, well, anything that looked like that, he wouldn't have trusted the paleontologists with. Especially if dad realized it had power." That dig had been in 2006, if she remembered correctly, and Dr. Thomas Oliver had been one of the paleontologists, along with Dr. Anton Mercer, that had been called in by the construction company doing the digging. Her dad would not have trusted either man around something this powerful. Not after Reefside.

"I'm surprised your father would disturb a fossil site, but I think we need to be grateful he kept this from falling into the wrong hands." Miss Morgan moved over to the empty Energem holders and held out the gem. It flew from her hand into the far right holder. "That's one more that Sledge won't find."

"So, what are Rules 2 and 4?" Chase asked abruptly.

"Hm?" Shelby asked.

"You've told us Rules 1, 3, and 5. There's got to be a Rule 2 and 4."

Her entire team was watching her, so Shelby shrugged. "Rule 2 only applies if I'm living at home, they want me to call if I'm going to be out later than 10pm, so Dad knows to set the security system so I can come in. He's got a custom system that is a pain if you set it off. So, I call, or text, and tell them Rule 2, and it's better for everyone."

"And Rule 4?" That was Riley, who was leaning against one of the tables.

"Well, technically, it's rule 4a, 4b, and 4c, and they are ranger related." She grinned at them. "4a is 'If I become a Power Ranger, keep my identity secret'."

"At least they understood the necessity of that," Miss Morgan said. 

"Well, they were targeted because the bad guys knew who they were, and so were their parents. So they know how important it is to be careful."

"So what's 4b then?"

She turned to Tyler. "4b and 4c are exceptions to 4a. 4b is to keep my identity secret unless my entire team is public, like the Lightspeed Rescue team or, as my mom puts it, those Overdrive weirdos." That got a laugh from Chase and Riley. "4c is keep my identity secret unless it's necessary to save lives, like the Space rangers did."

"That sounds like a sensible exception," Miss Morgan said. "4c that is. We're not taking the team public."

"No reason to," Chase said. "We know Sledge wants to know where our base is to get the Energems. Going public would make it that much easier."

"Exactly," Tyler said. "So except for Shelby's parents, we lay low."

"And they won't be traipsing in and out of here unless invited. Dad knows we all work here, but he doesn't know where our base is. His base wasn't near where he and his friends hung out, so he might not even think it's under the museum." She shrugged. "Rule 3 just said to tell them I was a ranger, not everything about being a ranger."

"In the meantime, if something ever happens, we at least have someone outside of the museum we can trust," Chase said. "Last resort only situation."

"Last resort only," Miss Morgan said. "I'd hate to pull retired rangers back into the business if we don't have to. And I think all of you have a shift soon," she added pointedly.

As they headed for the elevator, Chase put an arm around Shelby. "So, what did your parents have to say about the sureshot black ranger?"

"Nothing," Shelby said. "Actually, the only ranger either of my parents have mentioned is the green ranger."

"Really?" Riley asked.

"Yep. Mom thinks you look good in the suit," she said, watching as Riley blushed fiercely.

"Riley does not look better than me in the suit," Chase protested.

Tyler winked at Shelby before turning to Chase. "Sorry, I have to agree with Shelby's mom."

"Oi! When are you looking at me in the suit?!" Chase demanded as the elevator opened. Shelby grabbed Riley and Koda's hands and pulled them out of the elevator and down the hall, leaving Tyler and Chase to their argument. 

Besides, her mom was right. While all her male teammates did look good in the suit, Riley did have a nicer butt.


End file.
